A lot has changed in how users are absorbing content on the internet in the last three years. These days of AI-fueled content bloat, there seems to be very little incentive to write niche-specific content for AI to steal and reuse in order to keep users on it’s own platform. After a relatively short ‘gold rush’ period with AI generated content, you can now regularly encounter parts of the internet which has clearly begun to eat itself.
This is because AI is now often generating content for AI to consume. A dead give away is the ‘8th grade reading test’. If it’s content which reads like was written by an 8th grader, it is safe to assume it has roots in AI. Algorithms show this level of comprehension is the most profitable, so there will no reason anytime soon for AI to write more advanced communications.
Until we have an society that improves their vocabulary, I think this will remain true for quite some time. Especially since many kids are now cruising through school using AI tools to generate papers. This is an obvious ceiling I don’t hear many commentators bring up when talking about the ‘AI bubble’ which will inevitably burst.
As a blogger and experienced copywriter, I may have a unique perspective on how the content generation playing field has changed. The big question I hear discussed often these days is whether or not blogging is dead. After a few months of contemplating this issue, I’ve come to the conclusion it is far from being dead.
Many technologies have tried to destroy blogging over the years, but as a publishing mechanism it always seemed silly to think of it as a target. Journaling has been around for centuries since people could buy books with blank pages to write on, and blogging is simply the modern version of that.
There are plenty of journals, diaries, and logs in museums which give evidence to the value of a progression of complex ideas. Blogs can be a record of patterns formed by unique minds showing idea evolution, nuance, and often emotions. Until AI can replicate original ideas and offer life-lessons by demonstrating the journey of how it arrived at these unique ideas; I don’t think it will ever surpass the human mind with this platform. And if AI ever does start blogging with original ideas, it will only just compete with the value of independent minds.
So why are many bloggers having such a hard time in today’s aggressive content playing field? It’s because many of the traditional income streams have dried up. Search Engine Optimization is no longer a core strategy for generating income. Affiliate purchases are drying up, as advertisers are finding more lucrative income streams on other platforms who are generating more traffic.
To question if blogging is dead is to question if there is value in blogging. As content creation and syndication strategy evolves, we need to think creatively about the kind of value that our blogs can offer.
I think the future of blogging value lies in zero-party data. In the next post, I’ll cover what I’m going to do with the blogs I manage so they can continue to offer value despite Search Engine Optimization, AI Optimization, and Generative Engine Optimization.